It looks like your browser does not have JavaScript enabled. Please turn on JavaScript and try again.

Self-help Center

How Do I?

+ Apply for a position in the Rhode Island Judiciary?

When employment opportunities become available, vacancy notices are posted on both the Judiciary’s website at www.courts.ri.gov and the state jobs posting website at www.dlt.ri.gov/jobsri/statejobs.htm. All appointments to the unclassified positions within each of the courts are made by the appointing authority for each court, consistent with the provisions of the laws governing such appointments.

The vacancy notice will provide all pertinent information relating to the position including the application period, title of the position, pay grade, salary, union affiliation (if applicable) duties, responsibilities, and education/experience requirements.

Interested applicants must submit a state application form (CS-14) or an application letter and resume. Submissions must be received within the application period detailed on the vacancy notice (some state union contracts allow a 3-day grace period for receipt). The state application form (CS-14) may be obtained on the Employment Opportunities section of this website.

+ Bid on projects solicited by the Judiciary?

All procurements are posted on the State of Rhode Island’s Vendor Information program (RIVIP) website and can be found at www.purchasing.ri.gov/RIVIP/Home.asp. Companies must register on the RIVIP website in order to gain access to bids and request for proposals. Once a company is registered, it will be able to download PDF versions of the Request for Proposals (RFP) and bids.

+ Check the status of my refund?

Please contact the court from which you expected a refund. If the court is unable to answer your questions or you need further assistance, you may contact the Finance Department at (401) 222-1134, (401) 222-8834, or (401) 222-1263.

Unless your case is before the court to review a settlement, the court will not usually appoint an attorney to represent an injured worker. If you do not have a lawyer to represent you, please refer to the Legal Assistance listings on this page.

+ Get a case heard at the Workers’ Compensation Court?

All disputes regarding an injured worker’s right to benefits are heard at the Workers’ Compensation Court. The court has published simplified forms which are available on this website. The forms may be prepared and printed. Please print a copy for yourself as the form cannot be saved. You must make sure the form is completed and printed before you close the site.

After the petition is printed, it should be filed in the Workers’ Compensation Court Administrator’s Office. A $20.00 filing fee must be paid when the petition is filed. If you want to claim a new period of disability or to payment for new medical bills, you must attach a copy of the earlier agreement or decree or medical bill to the petition. The clerk cannot accept the petition if the decree/medical bill is not attached.

+ Get a continuance for my hearing in the Workers’ Compensation Court?

It is important to remember that the court gives you a date and is available to hear your case at that time. If you are unable to attend, it may be a long delay before your case is reached for hearing again.

If you cannot make your case for a valid reason, the court will normally grant a continuance. To do so, you must speak with the lawyer representing the employer and advise him or her that you will be unable to appear. If the lawyer advises you that the employer has no objection to the continuance, you must then call the court and speak with the clerk who works with the Judge assigned to your case. If your excuse is valid, the judge will normally grant the request for a continuance and you will receive notice of the new hearing date. If the employer objects to your request for a new hearing date or if the judge perceives a problem with the request, the court will usually schedule a hearing to decide whether the request for a continuance is valid and, if it is, the case will be rescheduled. If your case is continued at this hearing, you will receive a new hearing date at that time.

+ Get a copy of my agreement or decree in my Workers’ Compensation Court case?

If you previously had a case at the court and it was closed within the last year, the file is still available from the Workers’ Compensation Court Administrator’s Office. The decree entered by the court will be in the file and will be available for you to copy. There is a copy machine available and copies cost 15¢ per page.

If your case was closed more than one year ago, it is stored at the Judiciary’s record storage vendor, Cornerstone Records Management, 1600 Division Road, West Warwick, Rhode Island 02893, (401) 885-0088. There is a fee to recall the record and there is a copy machine available for a small cost per page.

If your employer had voluntarily paid benefits to you, copies of the documents prepared by the employer are available at the Department of Labor and Training. Please call the Workers’ Compensation Education Unit at (401) 862-8100 option 1 or email them at WCEdcUnit@dlt.ri.gov for information about how to obtain records filed there.

+ Get my criminal case expunged?

The summary below is for informational purposes only. It is recommended that you contact an attorney to discuss the procedures for filing such a motion in your particular case. This summary information does not guarantee that your case will be expunged after a motion has been filed.

Title 12 of the Rhode Island General Laws sets out a procedure for a first offender to file a motion to expunge a record of conviction for a felony or a misdemeanor. “Expungement” is a legal procedure by which certain individuals can ask the court to seal criminal a record. Once sealed, the criminal record is no longer public. Some time limits apply before a motion to expunge a case can be filed and anyone convicted or placed on probation on more than one occasion is ineligible for expungement.

The motion for expungement should be filed in the court in which the charge and/or the conviction took place and should contain: 1) a copy of the conviction records from the Office of Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Identification Unit (BCI) and 2) a copy of the criminal complaint located at the Judicial Records Center. A ten-day period is necessary for the offender to give the Attorney General’s Office and the arresting police department notice that the motion to expunge is being filed. The court Clerk’s Office will assign a hearing date at least ten (10) days from the filing date the motion for expungement was filed.

If the motion to expunge is granted by the court, certified copies of the court order should be provided to the arresting police department, the Department of Attorney General, and to the probation department (if applicable), in order to give notification that the record has been ordered expunged.

+ Look up a court rule, state law, or conduct legal research?

Court proceedings are governed by the appropriate Rules of Procedure. These rules can be found in a book entitled “Rhode Island Court Rules.” Reference copies are located in the State Law Library located at 250 Benefit Street, 8th Floor, Providence, Rhode Island and may also be available online through various resources.

State statutes and other legal research are also located at the State Law Library. You may also find Rhode Island state laws on the Rhode Island General Assembly website at www.rilin.state.ri.us.

+ My case has been expunged but the information is still on the Judiciary’s criminal information search, what do I do?

Contact the Clerk’s Office from where the Expungement Order was entered and have a copy of the Order ready with the appropriate case number.

Currently only fines from the District Court and the Rhode Island Traffic Tribunal can be paid online. Please go to the Online Payments box in the Self-Help Center on the home page of the Judiciary’s website or on the home page for the District Court and the Rhode Island Traffic Tribunal. Superior Court fines must be paid in person.

+ Request a copy of video surveillance footage from a courthouse?

Per the Administrative Office of State Court’s policy, video footage is typically not released to the public and is only provided in limited circumstances. Requests for security surveillance footage from any courthouse must be submitted in writing and must include specific information relative to the incident including, but not limited to, date of the incident, name of courthouse, location within the courthouse or surrounding area, description of incident, the time period and/or duration of the incident, a detailed description of subject(s), and any other identifying information, including the purpose for which the footage, if any, is sought. All requests should be submitted to:

The release of any video surveillance footage may be subject to certain terms and conditions.

+ Request to film or take pictures at a courthouse?

Because the filming of the interior or exterior of a state courthouse, whether during business hours or after hours, affects the operation of court business, implicates a number of security concerns, and impacts court staff assignments and responsibilities, all requests to take live or still pictures within a courthouse shall be made in writig at least fifteen (15) days before the proposed filming date. The request should include the following information:

The date(s) requested for filming;

Approximate time period for filming;

Location – Building, courtroom, hallway, etc.;

The nature and size of the project for which footage is sought;

The number of film staff, actors, and personnel who will be in attendance; and

The proposed use of the footage.

The written request should be sent to both the Assistant State Court Administrator for Facilities, Operations, and Security and the Assistant State Court Administrator for the Office of Community Outreach and Public Relations. If the request involves filming the interior of a courtroom, a copy of the request shall also be forwarded to the judge who presides over the particular courtroom. If the request is granted, it may be subject to certain terms and limitations.

+ Schedule a courthouse tour?

Visitors may gain direct access to and understanding of the third branch of government, the Judiciary, through courthouse tours. Courthouse tours make the procedures, laws, issues, and officials of the justice system real for visitors of all ages and backgrounds. Typically, a chaperoned school tour for 25 students in grades 6 through 12 offers a look into the daily criminal calendar, the cell block hall, Law Library, a jury trial if in session and a walk through the Supreme Court courtroom. Walking tours are available for elementary school students. Visitors may enter our courthouses and are free to look around in public areas.

+ Speak to someone regarding a tax interception notice I received?

You may contact the Costs and Fines Division of the Judiciary at (401) 275-2700.